


Better Apart

by onlyhereforellick



Series: Back Off [1]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Angst, F/M, because duh, ellickweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:54:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23674948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyhereforellick/pseuds/onlyhereforellick
Summary: When there was no response in return, not even a quiet noise of denial, not even a hand on the shoulder to stop her- she left.
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres
Series: Back Off [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710991
Comments: 10
Kudos: 32





	Better Apart

**Author's Note:**

> "We need to talk about what happened last night."
> 
> Ellick Week DAY ONE

After tossing and turning all night riddled with fury, Ellie had chugged three cups of coffee, thrown on makeup to cover the bags under her eyes even if it didn’t hide the rage shining through.

_Nick had no- damn- right. No right._

Stomping into the elevator, Ellie slammed her arms across her body, cocking a hip to tap her foot impatiently. With every inch the elevator ascended, her blood boiled an extra degree. From the moment she realized Nick had interfered with her date last night, she’d wanted to ring his neck. That desire had only grown as she strewed.

Finally the blessed elevator doors slid open revealing an empty bullpen. Saturday was a strange day to work for most- but nothing was out of the ordinary for Gibbs’ team. Called in to dig into a sudden new lead, at least that was the excuse _someone_ gave to her date last night. The eye roll was inescapable even just thinking about it.

Coming around the corner she saw it was just her and Nick. The rest of the team mysteriously absent. Ellie threw her bag into the corner of the cubical wall with much more force than necessary, the crash drawing Nick’s attention. Her hand gripped the back of her chair, knuckles becoming white quickly at the tension there. Breathing in through her nostrils, she tried to calm the raging seas within her— _maybe he had a good explanation, maybe he wasn’t out to sabotage her, maybe she was overreacting, maybe..._

Nicks voice floated across the floor sickeningly innocent, “Whoa, you good Bishop?” Eyes full of ‘ _concern_ ’- her stomach twisted and those breathing techniques went out the window. She could smell a liar from a mile away, and Nick was not immune.

The bottled up rage came spewing out like she was a kid playing with coke and mementos, the outburst uncontainable. “You don’t get to do that, Nick! No. You don’t get to write me a- a- a love letter,” she spat out as she shoved her chair into the desk causing her monitor to wobble, “that finally has me opening up, thinking you’ve changed, only to be shot down when I make a move because you’re _dating_ someone else AND THEN you still manage to undermine my chances with another guy calling it ‘overprotective’” she said exaggeratedly with air quotes as she stomped around the desk closing in on his, “when we both know you were jealous. Flat out jealous.” Slamming both palms down on his desk top as she leaned over, mouth set in a scary thin line, facing a very uncharacteristically quaking Nick. “I brushed it off then Nicholas Torres, but I’m sure as hell not brushing it off now. If you won’t man up, then get the _hell_ out of my love life.” Ellie swore there was smoke coming from her ears. Teeth ground together tight at the end of her rampage and feet planted firmly in their place she locked eyes with him a second longer to truly drive home her point. A pregnant pause later and she slowly lifted off to stand straight, every muscle fiber taught with annoyance and rage.

And yet somehow Nick has the audacity to still look innocent. He pushed back from his desk and raised to stand level with her. His voice unnervingly steady, “We need to talk about what happened last night- I take it?”

Floored at his indifference, Ellie stuttered, voice rising an octave by the end, “To- to talk about it? T-talk about it?!” Flinging her hands wildly up in the air she turned to leave. Not sure where the hell she’d be going, but _this_ is not what she signed up for when Gibbs convinced her to leave the NSA. Voice slightly unhinged she stated firmly despite the edge to it, “There’s nothing to talk about _Agent Torres_ ,” spitting out his last name to make her point, and if the sharp involuntary gasp behind her was any indication, it hit its mark. “Back- _off_.” Her voice seething at the end, wishing she could really throw in the explicative she wanted.

His voice interrupted her storm-off, much closer to her back than she anticipated. “But—“

Stopping in her tracks, right hand halfway to grabbing her backpack, Ellie froze. Fingers curled into her palm- fingernails digging into her flesh in a futile attempt to bite back the surge of anger she felt. Not even bothering to turn around, she spoke lethally low through clenched teeth, “But, nothing. I don’t care why, I don’t even want to know. The next time you go behind my back to elaborately cancel with Richard _on my behalf_ —“ drawing in a breath to calm the fire licking at her nerves, “will be the last time I consider you a friend.” Ellie could feel the oxygen sucked from the room at her harsh words- she didn’t need to turn around to know how Nick took them. A touch more gently, almost wistfully, she added quietly turning her head just slightly to the right even though she couldn’t bring herself to truly look back at him, “We keep missing each other, Nick. We’re just- not meant to be. Please,” she implored while tears filled her eyes and clogged her throat, “ _back off_.”

When there was no response in return, not even a quiet noise of denial, not even a hand on the shoulder to stop her- she left. He must have finally gotten it- this wasn’t a some procedural slow burn workplace romance—they weren’t better together, no- they were better apart.


End file.
